MATA HARI: Agent H21 – THE EYE OF DAWN is a pet project of mine. For many years now I have been interested in the story of Mata Hari – and even beyond that, the myth that has built up around her. I asked myself was there a real-life character more befitting the Pulp Fiction treatment than Mata Hari? Her name alone conjured up images of exotic temple dancing, veils, ornate jewel-encrusted head-dresses and rhythmic undulating body movements. The idea of an exotic dancer who worked as a lethal double agent and used her powers of seduction to extract military secrets from her many lovers made Mat ..read more

Title: Gunshine State Author: Andrew Nette Publisher: 280 Steps (pictured above) First Published: 2016 The Heist Always Goes Wrong You may have met Gary Chance, the central protagonist in Gunshine State, before. I’m reluctant to describe him as a hero, because Chance is a career crim – yeah, he’s a bit of a bastard. Chance previously appeared in the short story, Two Men in a Car, which appeared in the anthology, The First Shift (2012). And he fought an Atlantean cult in Chasing Atlantis, which appeared in Hard Labour (2012) – both collections published by Crime F ..read more

Title: Balazar the Butcher Author: Emerson Dodge (Paul Wheelahan) Publisher: The Cleveland Publishing Co. (No. 1411) First Published: 2004 ‘This killer from Sonora was an odd one!’ Despite the cover image, which looks like Red Sun era Charles Bronson, I can’t recall a moustache or a knife in the story. But I guess this type of image appeals to readers of a certain age – it drew me in – so I guess it’s effective marketing. This novella-length tale concerns Joel Masterman, the owner of the sprawling Jefferson Ranch. Joel is an old school rancher, who runs Long-horns rather than Herefords, and h ..read more

Title: The Vengeance Trail Author: Paul Evan Lehman Publisher: Star Western (No. 103) Published: 1957 ‘His back was a target for every outlaw gun!’ On the title page, each Star Western declared, ‘This is a Star Western. Every story new. Every story complete.’ This is somewhat of an exaggeration, the stories were new to Australian shores, but they weren’t new. Most had been published in the United States for many years. In this one, Jim Randall rides to Briscoe after being informed his father died from a bullet wound. In his haste, Randall pushes his mount too hard and the horse collapses. He m ..read more

Title: Five Guns to Red Butte Author: Ben Taggart (Roger Green) Publisher: Iron Horse Westerns (251) – a Division of Cleveland Publishing Co. Published: 1976 ‘Only Clint Dawson could save the town!’ The cover of this 100 page novella, features a villainous Lee Van Cleef look-a-like, which in some ways is appropriate, as the hero of the story, Clint Dawson, is clearly modelled on Clint Eastwood. However, the story borrows many of its beats from High Plains Drifter (1972), rather than The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966). The dialogue in particular, mimics many famous western Eastwood ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MODERN MEN’S ADVENTURE SERIES FINAL EPISODE VENGEANCE: CUTTER AND THE KINGSNAKE DEBUTS As a part of Pro Se Press’ innovative Single Shot Signature Series line, the final story in the Vengeance series, CUTTER AND THE KINGSNAKE, is now available. Scribed by James Hopwood (pen name of rising pulp adventure writer David J. Foster), the series features Nathan Cutter, an Australian soldier whose life is turned upside down when his family become innocent victims in a gangland war. Written in the style of the men’s action-adventure stories of the 1970s and ’80s, such as The Execu ..read more

DATELINE HOLLYWOOD: The latest release from Pro Se Productions is a book I’m pretty excited about. HOLLYWOOD MYSTERY contains five stories from the Golden Age of Celluloid, where the stars get to solve the crime. Joining me on this journey to tinseltown are noted authors Mark Squirek, Christofer Nigro, Wayne Carey and Gordon Dymowski. My contribution, THE POISON PEN, features William Powell and Myrna Loy neck deep in trouble at the famed Roosevelt Hotel. When two bodies are discovered during a gala event, pandemonium breaks loose. When the police arrive on the scene, the clues point to three m ..read more

Title: The Storm Author: Clive Cussler and Graham Brown Publisher: Michael Joseph | Penguin Published: 2012 Pages: 404 Series: The NUMA Files – Book 10 Since Clive Cussler became a brand, with at least five series on the go, I have had trouble keeping up with his output – or rather with the cadre of writers assembled to pump out each of the novels. That may not be such a bad thing, as the tales seem to be a bit hit and miss these days. The Storm is not the worst I have read, but it isn’t top tier Cussler either. This adventure sees Kurt Austin, Joe Zavala, and the NUMA team investigating the d ..read more

Title: The Four Legendary Kingdoms Author: Matthew Reilly Publisher: Pan Macmillan Published: 2016 Series: Jack West Jr. – Book 4 I have a love / hate relationship with Matthew Reilly’s novels. When Reilly gets it right, his books are the equivalent of a spectacular Big Screen Blockbuster movie; they are jaw-droppingly exciting and a great deal of fun. When he gets it wrong, they are can be genuinely cringeworthy. Infuriatingly, he can write 499 odd pages that have me hanging on his every word, and then on page 500, ruin everything and lose me in an instant – like his novel Temple – that endi ..read more

As a part of Pro Se Press’ innovative Single Shot line, the follow-up to my blood and thunder tale Cutter’s Law is now available. This second tale in the VENGEANCE trilogy is entitled GET CUTTER – and it’s BIGGER, BETTER and BLOODIER. The series features Nathan Cutter, an Australian soldier whose life was turned upside down when his family became innocent victims in a gangland war. Written in the style of the men’s action-adventure stories of the 1970s and ’80s, such as The Executioner, this fast-paced story ratchets mayhem and excitement to new levels. This story sees Nathan Cutter behind ba ..read more